Valve manifold module and system



May 26, 1970 R. K. TARBOX VALVE MANIFOLD MODULE AND SYSTEM 19 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 9, 1968 FIG! INVENTOR. ROBERT K. TARBOX B Wm,

ATTORNEYS May 26, 1970 R. K. TARBOX VALVE MANIFOLD MODULE AND SYSTEM 19 SheetsSh eet 2 Filed April 9, 1968 IH i r. U 0 .V

INVENTOR.

ROBERT K. TARBOX M\ ATTORNEYS May 26, 1970 R. K. TARBOX 3,513,875

VALVE MANIFOLD MODULE AND SYSTEM Filed April 9, 1968 19 Sheets-Sheet 5 N 33 fill 0 Wm Q :2 A Q l LL 5 2 I" P O M" M" INVENTOR.

ROBERT K. TARBOX BY WW ATTORNEYS May 26, 1970 R. K. TARBOX 3,513,876

VALVE MANIFOLD MODULE AND SYSTEM Filed April 9, 1968 19 Sheets-Sheet 4 it if O FIG.9

INVENTOR- ROBERT K. TARBOX a f /Mu PWY'W ATTORNEYS I May 26, 1970 R. K. TARBOX 3,513,876

VALVE MANIFOLD MODULE AND SYSTEM Filed April 9, 1968 19 Sheets-Sheet 5 JOO T INVENTOR.

ROBERT K. TARBOX ATTORNEYS R. K. TARBOX VALVE MANIFOLD MODULE AND SYSTEM May 26, 1970 19 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed April 9, 1968 iuuuuuuiv 7' FIG. /5

INVENTOR.

BERT K. TARBOX M. M ATTORNE Y5 FIG/6 May 26, 1970 R. K. TARBOX 3,513,375

VALVE MANIFOLD MODULE AND SYSTEM Filed April 9, 1968 19 Sheets-Sheet 7 I u l 37 29' I 37 121a, I 21 I0 I 2/ 5? ROBERT K. TARBOX BY Maw ATTORNEYS May 26, 1970 R. K. TARBOX 3,513,376

VALVE MANIFOLD MODULE AND SYSTEM Filed April 9, 1968 19 Sheets-Sheet 8 'FIG. 20

F/GZZ INVENTOR.

R BERT K. TARBOX BY Ml W,

Bra/kw ATTORNEYS May 26, 1970 R. K. TARBOX VALVE MANIFOLD MODULE AND YSTEM l9 Sheets-Sheet 9 Filed April 9. 1968 FIG. 23

INVENTOR.

ROBERT K. TARBOX BY ATTORNEYS May 26, 1970 R. K. TARBOX 3,513,876

VALVE MANIFOLD MODULE AND SYSTEM Filed April 9, 1968 19 Sheets-Sheet 10 INVENTOR.

Q RiBERT K. TAR OX BY z WY M h- Q/V ATTORNEYS May 26, 1970 R. K. TARBOX 3,513,876

VALVE MANIFOLD MODULE AND SYSTEM Filed A ril 9, 1968 19 Sheets-Sheet l1 INVENTOR R BERT K. TARBOX BY MM ATTORNEYS May 26, 1970 I R. K. TARBOX 3,513,875

' VALVE MANIFOLD MODULE AND SYSTEM Filed April 9, 1968 19 Sheets-Sheet 1:

INVENTOR.

@OBERT K. T RBOX BY 1 I @flL-M? N ATTORNEYS May 26, 1970 R. K. TARBOX 3,513,376

VALVE MANIFOLD MODULE AND SYSTEM Filed April 9, 1968 1.9 Sheets-Sheet 15 INVENTOR. ROBERT K. TARBOX ATTORNEYS May 26, 1970 R. K. TARBOX VALVE MANIFOLD MODULE AND SYSTEM 19 Sheets-Sheet 14 Filed April 9, 1968 m DI INVENTOR.

O BY M BERT K (2 MW ATTORNEYS .May 26, 1970 R. K. TARBOX 3,513,876

VALVE MANIFOLD MODULE AND SYSTEM Filed April 9, 1968 l9 Sheets-Sheet 15 INVENTOR. ROBERT K. T RBOX h ATTORNEYS May 26, 1970 R. K. TARBOX 3,513,875

VALVE MANIFOLD MODULE AND SYSTEM Filed April 9, 1968 19 Sheets-Sheet 16 INVENTOR. ROBERT K. TARBOX BY M ATTORNEYS May 26, 1970 R. K. TARBOX 3,513,876

- VALVE MANIFOLD MODULE AND SYSTEM Filed April 9, 1968 19 Sheets-Sheet 17 FIG. 4/

INVENTOR. ROBERT K. TARBOX ATTORNEYS May 26, 1970 R. K. YTARBOX 3,513,876

VALVE MANIFOLD MODULE AND SYSTEM Filed April 9, 1968 l9 SheetsSheet l8 INVENTOR. ROBERT K. TARBOX ATTORNEYS May 26, 1970 R. K. TARBOX VALVE MANIFOLD MODULE AND SYSTEM 19 Sheets-Sheet 19 Filed April 9, 1968 FIG. 43

INVENTOR. R BERT K. TARBOX BY I H ATTORNEYS 3,513,876 VALVE MANIFOLD MODULE AND SYSTEM Robert K. Tar-box, Akron, Ohio, assignor to Akro-Tec Incorporated, Akron, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed Apr. 9, 1968, Ser. No. 719,964 Int. Cl. F16k 11/20, 11/24 U.S. Cl. 137-596 16 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Background of the invention Modern industrial plants require a large number and variety of machines, devices and controls which are operated by air or hydraulic pressure, and requirements for the fluid pressure operating and control systems involved become very complex and expensive. Not only does the initial installation of any particular system require a great amount of expensive custom piping and wiring to make the system operative, but also each time the system is added to or modified, a corresponding amount of changing or adding to the piping and Wiring connections is needed. In these days of excessive labor and material costs, the costs of improving or changing an existing fluid system are often substantially prohibitive.

As a consequence, many plants tend to sacrifice time and efiiciency by continuing to utilize an obsolete or makeshift operation or control system rather than to change in order to improve their operation as required by new and improved machinery and equipment.

Attempts have been made to provide fluid systems having interchangeable components which require less custom design, construction, and connections, but such attempts of which I am aware have resulted in such a large number of different components as to involve excessively high material costs as well as special skills in installing and assembling the components.

It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a novel valve manifold system composed of a minimum number of interchangeable module blocks selectively abuttingly connectable to each other and to various valves and accessories in a multiplicity of arrangements.

Another object is to provide a novel basic module block construction which is quickly and easily modified to form all of the modules.

A further object is to provide a novel module block construction embodying fluid and electrical conduits adapted to connect with conduits in other abuttingly connected modules and valves and accessories, without requiring special skills.

Summary of the invention These and other objects are accomplished by providing a basic module block having a predetermined arrangement of ports therein opening from certain abutment faces thereof, and additional module blocks having ports and abutment faces for connecting certain of said ports to United States Patent form electrical conduits and pressure and exhaust manifolds, other faces of said blocks adapted by abutment to connect other ports with operating or control conduits, and with valves, adaptors and accessories.

Description of the drawings FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a combination of three side-by-side abutting manifold module blocks with end clamping plates, an adaptor block and valve superposed on one of said manifold blocks, and pressure regulators abutting the ends of the adaptor block.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a similar combination of the middle module block in FIG. 1 with side clamping plates, a superposed valve, an end abutting regulator and a cap plate closing the electrical conduit recess at the other end.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged top plan view of the three module blocks of FIG. 1 clamped in abutting relation.

FIG. 4 is an end elevation of line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view of the assembly of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view as on line 66 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged top plan view of the module block at the near end of FIG. 1, partly broken away and in section.

FIG. 8 is a side elevation thereof.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view on line 99 of FIG. 7.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view on line 1010' of FIG. 7.

FIG. 11 is an enlarged top plan view of the basic module block shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 12 is a side elevation thereof.

FIG. 13 is a sectional view on line 1313 of FIG. 11.

FIG. 14 is a sectional view on line 1414 of FIG. 11.

FIG. 15 is a partial sectional view on line 1515 of FIG. 11.

FIG. 16 is a top plan view of the module block at the far end of FIG. 1.

FIG. 17 is a side elevation thereof.

FIG. 18 is a sectional view on line 1818 of FIG. 16.

FIG. 19 is a sectional view on line 1919 of FIG. 16.

FIG. 20 is a top plan view of an assembly of module blocks including a spacer module block at the center.

FIG. 21 is an enlarged top plan view of said spacer block.

FIG. 22 is a sectional view on line 22-22 of FIG. 21.

FIG. 23 is a top plan view of an adaptor block to be superposed on any one of the module blocks.

FIG. 24 is a side elevation thereof.

FIG. 25 is a sectional view on line 25-25 of FIG. 23.

FIG. 26 is a top plan view of another adaptor block to be superposed on any one of the module blocks.

FIG. 27 is a sectional view thereof.

FIG. 28 is a bottom plan view thereof.

FIG. 29 is a vertical sectional view, partly in elevation, showing a single pressure spool valve superposed upon the valve module of FIG. 7.

FIG. 30 is a partial sectional view on line 30-30 of FIG. 29.

FIG. 31 is a vertical sectional view, partly in elevation, of the adaptor block of FIG. 23 and a dual pressure spool valve superposed upon the module block of FIG. 7, with a regulator abutting one end of the adaptor block and a recirculating end cap abutting the other end.

FIG. 32 is a vertical sectional view, partly in elevation, of the adaptor block of FIG. 26 and a single pressure spool valve superposed upon the module block of FIG. 7.

FIG. 33 is a vertical sectional view, partly in elevation, of a single pressure spool valve superposed upon the module block of FIG. 11, with a pressure regulator in abutment with one end of the block. 

